Encouraging children to take responsibility for their belongings is a universal conundrum. The two pieces on display here are designed to be robust and attractive, combining both fun and functionality.
Designed by Rob Law, the Trunki Trunkisaurus Rex (1) is a suitcase for children over three years of age to help prevent boredom whilst travelling. The case is injection moulded in mottled green, textured polypropylene (PP), and has horns making it resemble a dinosaur. The wheels on the base and sturdy structure mean a child can ride on the case either being pulled along or by scooting their feet on the ground. They can help with the luggage by pulling their own suitcase along. The Trunki was first marketed in 1997 and there is now a range of different creatures. It was designed in the UK and made first in China. Subsequently, manufacturing has moved to the UK and all metal parts have been replaced by plastic components that snap-fit together, simplifying the assembly process.
The Roomii (2) ride-on container has wheels that move around 360° so that children can ride around in any direction. The design encourages children to tidy their toys away by 'feeding' the monster. It is brightly coloured and doubles up as a ride on toy. Manufactured from injection moulded acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) this colourful container was designed by Tzong-Yu Lu in 2013 and was the winner of the Red Dot, iF, and IDEA design awards.
Both the Trunki and the Roomii encourage imaginative play and double up as storage.